


oxytocin

by 1once



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, the cuddle hormone bc lukanette deserve softness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 00:11:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21234893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1once/pseuds/1once
Summary: two times luka knew where marinette was and the one time he didn’t





	oxytocin

[ 1 ]

Alya was good in school. She studied well, passed with good grades, and did loads better than some other students. It wasn’t to the extent of the natural intellect of someone like Sabrine or the clumsy but hard won knowledge that Marinette possesed; she was simply above average.

But for the life of her, she could not pay attention to Madame Mendelieve talk about protons and neutrons. 

She spent the entire night before transforming her Ladyblog. It now has a completely new format and even new topics. Alya wasn’t as gifted with technology like Max, but she’s proud of herself because it doesn’t look bad. It has cleaner lines and a more professional tint on it. She was even in the process of developing an app to make it easier for everyone to have access, or to film an attack or Ladybug herself when she isn’t available at the scene.

Alya’s mind was whirring so fast that she doesn’t hear the class quiet down when the door opens. They had to discuss with one another if protons were magnetic or not and since Marinette was nowhere to be found, Alya found herself dozing off. It is not her usual move, but the Ladyblog nearly consumed all of her interest. It wasn’t until she feels a poke behind her that makes her eyes focus to the thing that caught the entire class by storm.

Or, someone.

Before she can react, she feels a body slide down beside her. Alya can practically feel the warmth radiating from Marinette, who was glowing positively red by the second. She didn’t realize the second person until Marinette murmurs a thanks with her bright blue eyes following his figure until he leaves the class out of sight.

Even Madame Mendelieve looks shocked. She simply blinked and returned to her desk while she lets the class explode into hushed whispers, obviously because Luka Couffaine just dropped off Marinette with his hand securely on her lower back the entire time.

The reason for that was probably to support her because Marinette was on crutches, but semantics.

Alya didn’t even have to say anything to her. After getting over her initial shock, she just simply sat back and crossed her arms over her chest, with a big, cocky grin on her face. She knows she looks obnoxious, but the satisfaction is worth it. 

“He was helping me carry stuff,” Marinette explains, gesturing to the plethora of items she would have had to hold by herself, plus her crutches, if it weren’t for Luka. 

All she does is nod. She can tell that Marinette is trying her best to not explain herself further, because she knows the more she tries, the more guilty she looks. She didn’t commit any crime, but Alya can be annoying when she turns out to be right in the end. She _knows_ there is something going on between her and Luka; the evidence is literally in front of her. She is just waiting for Marinette to suck it up and tell her, and she’s willing to wait until she gets comfortable enough.

That doesn’t mean Alya can’t get comfortable waiting for her. She practically already knows. 

She knows she shouldn’t bite further, but her journalist side wins in the end.

“So I suppose he just coincidentally saw you walking to school?”

Marinette nods, but it was more like a squeak. Her face is practically burning now.

“For a week straight?”

“Yep.”

Alya hums, taking that as an answer. She decides she can’t bear to torment her best friend anymore, even when the truth is in her face. Without the verbal action, the evidence is everywhere. It’s in the way Marinette leaned into his touch as he helped her to her seat; how he waited patiently for her even when he would also be late to his own class; their quiet glances at one another despite all the stares they received.

It’s obvious they were a team. When they were formed, is the question Alya seeks to find out.

“Alright I'll stop bugging you,” she decided out loud right then. Marinette sighs in relief and continues to copy down notes she missed before she came in. There is no actual malice between the two of them when it comes to this situation; Marinette knows Alya will give her space when it matters the most, and the exact state between her and Luka is arguably not the most important secret Marinette has. Especially so when they aren’t doing a great job in keeping it low.

“So the huge Ladyblog update last night. What’s up with that?” Marinette asks, nudging Alya beside her with a proud glint in her eyes. If there was anything to change her mind on anything, it was everything involved Ladybug. And Marinette knew exactly how to press that button.

Alya spurted out everything that was on her mind. She spoke so much that she decided to exclusively talk about the ladyblog for that day.

She’ll save the fact that Marinette didn’t notice she walked into class wearing Luka’s jacket. Knowing her, that discussion will be soon. And she’ll enjoy that conversation almost as much as she loves talking about Ladybug.

Almost.

-

[ 2 ]

There was electricity in the air. 

It was humming and buzzing and instead of the liberating feeling of it being created from his fingertips, this was made out of fear instead. Luka can barely keep his breathing steady as he hides with the rest of the band in an alley. He can still see their forgotten instruments laying in the park, discarded after an akuma popped out of nowhere.

The fear struck into everyone instantly and his first thought was to get everyone to safety. He grabbed the already shaking Rose into his arms and took Juleka’s gaze with his own. Ivan followed closely behind and they all fled the scene quietly. 

No one was harmed and it took everything in Luka to not venture off and do what he can to help other civilians. He had to force himself to keep his feet grounded at the alley. His body was aching to run out to danger, to follow Marinette, who skillfully disappeared after a blink of an eye. Even if she did that a million times before, nothing can settle the fear in his chest whenever she leaves his sight.

She’s Ladybug. Plain and simple. Luka doesn’t understand the entire scope of her abilities, but she has kept Paris safe for nearly two years now. Her team has grown and Luka respects her as a protector as well as a teammate. Even with her skills, she has Chat Noir by her side to complete the ultimate duo.

Luka has complete faith, in both Marinette and Ladybug. However, he still allows slight jitters into his system. At this point, it’s inevitable.

There is a certain rush of activating the Miraculous. As Viperion, he can repeat time for second chances. That itself feels surreal. Adding to that was his heightened senses and physical abilities; there was simply no way that Luka felt stoppable. It was maybe because to him, the weight of the mask didn’t quite equal the weight of the responsibility; he did well because it was fun. Playing the lyre was almost exactly as addicting as strumming his guitar. If there was anyone who understands the importance of being a superhero, it was Marinette. 

They’re the same person, but Marinette was a superhero even without the mask.

“Bring them to that alley,” she whispered to his ear right when she spotted the akuma rising in the horizon. He brings his gaze up and his chest constricts.

“Stay safe.”

That was all he can utter before she was already running off to the direction of it while the rest of the band just caught sight of it. However, if he saw her face, he knows she would have been smirking in confidence. It was times like these where she allowed Ladybug to crack into her daily life. She trusted him enough to show her natural charisma and boldness, the one where she didn’t need a Miraculous to activate it.

If only he was quick enough to mutter an ‘I love you’ every time she runs off, he would feel more at ease. He never feels relaxed when she’s out and fighting, but the words are still a ghost on his lips, still spoken even if she was gone.

“Oh God,” Ivan murmurs. “Where’s Marinette?”

The realization hits the three like a sudden jolt of electricity and dread. Rose shakes even more in his arms and Juleka’s eyes widens at his words. 

That, too, was also inevitable.

He would think that by this point, the weird but assured phenomenon of Marinette leaving at every akuma attack would make everyone used to it. But it isn’t and that’s a good thing, to hide her identity from more people. Although, even Luka was still confused everytime she disappeared when he was still in the dark about her being Ladybug. That was a little over half a year ago; he can only imagine Marinette’s struggle during the whole time about making excuses for her absence.

“I saw her run off to the other alley,” Luka whispers. “I can see her right now. She’s completely fine.”

He’s standing all the way at the edge while the others are more protected in the inner area. They can’t see what he sees so his small lie is effective for now. Although, it isn’t completely a lie. Ladybug just jumped on the roof near the alley he pointed at. She’s not completely safe, but she’s fine so far.

Luka can’t keep his eyes off of her. He’s seen her almost a million times, fought by her side at least half of those times, and yet his mind just gets louder with melodies because of her. She’s spinning her yoyo while throwing her head back at a joke Chat Noir probably said. Even from this distance, Luka’s face softens at how beautiful she is. There’s something about the way she moves as Ladybug and it isn’t because of the Miraculous; it’s her poise and trust in herself that she can get the job done.

She finishes a minute later. Ladybug throws the lucky charm in the air and everything that got displaced is returned to the proper area. Rose finally stops shaking and Juleka can step a few paces away from him without feeling terrified. They all leave the alley with their chests finally free of the fear that comes with every akuma attack. 

When they get back to the park, Marinette is already there. That is when Luka can finally exhale in relief. He can’t help but do so every time an attack is over; even if it’s just a slight breath longer than a usual one, he always relaxes much more after seeing her.

“Thank goodness that was a quick one,” she greets them, her blue eyes still shining from the adrenaline.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir’s the best,” Rose sighs in relief. “Should we start from the top?”

They all murmur agreements enthusiastically. On the way to grab their instruments, Luka picks up his guitar in a second and takes Marinette in his other arm fluidly. She can barely squeak a surprise when he lands his head on her shoulder, closing his eyes to just feel her in his vicinity. She can never be close enough for him, but he can try.

“Hey,” she laughs, putting a hand on the back of his neck. Marinette is still smiling but her tone is serious when she quietly whispers, “I'm fine.” 

“Yeah I know,” Luka murmurs on to her skin. “You really are the best.”

She blushes, and he is kind of sure it isn’t from his words but rather from the light kisses he’s pecking her face with. No area of her skin is left unscathed and by the time he’s finished, she lays a hand over his own on top of her cheek.

“Thank you, Luka.” The clarity of her blue eyes takes his breath away and the inspiration is practically bubbling from his fingertips. 

A small part of him knows he should probably stop because the rest of the band is waiting on them to stop being disgustingly cute, but time never seems to be enough when Luka is with her. He takes his sweet time making sure that even without the mask, Marinette feels appreciated for being her. 

-

[ +1 ]

He almost falls into the Seine.

Luka stumbles across the boarding ramp to the Liberty, where he safely makes it to the deck. The streetlights don’t quite make it to the ship, which makes it more difficult to navigate. He uses the moonlight because it was the brightest, but even then he struggled to see through the darkness.

Despite all his ruckus, Paris doesn’t even flinch. 

He just got back from a late night gig. There was still sweat sticking to his back from how intensely he played. He didn’t play with Kitty Section, but with another band that resembled more closely to his favorite genre, alternative. He was also a sub vocalist and his throat was tired from singing his own lyrics he wrote. It wasn’t his first time, but this crowd felt especially electrifying. After giving two songs, they performed an additional encore of three more songs, with one that was still not released.

In the morning he would check his social media to see the opinions about the song, but for now, he will let his body drag tiredly to get ready for sleep.

He yawns as he drops off his bag and guitar at the doorway of his room. Luka makes leeway to the bathroom first to freshen up and rid of the smell of sweat and _some_ stench of alcohol the venue was selling, not that he actually drank some. There was a time and place for that and during a performance isn’t one of them. He would never admit it, but he might be speaking from experience.

The near boiling water he takes a shower in feels heavenly on his skin despite the scathing temperature, but it melts just right. However, for how relaxing the shower was, he didn’t take one for too long because his eyes really were drooping. After ten minutes in the bathroom and jumping into some pajamas, he heads for his room.

The moonlight from his porthole does better at guiding him than outside, but he still stubs his toe at least once. His bed has never looked so fluffy until now, but he still sits in the middle of his floor and breathes deep and clear. Meditating after a hectic night is essential to his core. Putting all the energy he received from the crowd and distributing it equally throughout his body is arguably the most important thing he’ll do tonight. 

Although he can still hear whispers of applause from the crowd, that sound is slowly fading into a good memory. It doesn’t disappear, but rather safely deposited into his life forever.

Luka appreciates every second of that single success with his entire soul before he gets up. Already, his finger tips are buzzing with an itch to play a few notes on the guitar and he does allow himself that. Some are new sounds, completely born in the moment, and some are the persistent melodies that’s been stuck in his heart for as long as he can remember.

Marinette’s melody inevitably comes to mind and he leans against the bed while he plays it. He can play it upside down with his hands tied behind his back and his eyes closed. If his entire memories were wiped and he saw her smile for the first time again, he indisputably would be able to remake the melody without a change. 

With that in mind, he looks out his porthole and hopes she’s sleeping well. She should be long finished with her patrols and safely asleep in her bed, if not sleeping over at Alya’s or with the girls. Saving Paris requires an enormous amount of energy and Marinette deserves at least a nightly recharge for all she does.

He returns his guitar from its stand and finally stands up from the floor. His upper body is sore from playing all night so he stretches lightly before drowning in the desire to slip into bed and fall into oblivion. 

It is during that moment he realizes a foot is peeking out on top of his bed.

The smile on his face is uncontrollable as he brings his arms down from an overhead stretch. Slowly, he walked to the edge of his bed and examines the bizarre fluff of his comforter. Only now does he discern that it is not actually fluffy, but actually resembling a human curled up beneath a cocoon of warmth.

“You coming?” a feminine voice (albeit sleepy) voice asks from deep below the trenches of his comforter. 

His heart isn’t exactly racing, but it beats comfortably. Like he has come home.

“Yeah,” he says before finally mustering the strength to start settling into his bed. “Have you been waiting long?”

Both their tones are just barely above whispers due to other people sleeping in the Liberty, but Luka clearly knows Marinette’s voice despite it being drenched in sleep. In fact, he’s slightly disappointed that he didn’t hear her the moment he came in. To his defense, she was buried under his blankets and it was extremely dark.

“No,” Marinette hums when he finally lays down. She shifts her body towards him after moving closer to the wall so he has more space to sleep. “Your ma let me in just after you left. Let me stay for as long as I'd like.”

He can’t help but chuckle. That does sound like his mother would say. Marinette’s skin is almost feverish but it has the same effect on him like his hot shower; he can literally feel the leftover tension melting away. 

“How long are you planning to stay?”

Her face is settled on to the crook of his neck and he can smell the faint scent of apples from her shampoo. Luka doesn’t even have to check that she’s wearing his hoodie; her hands are covered by how long his sleeve is on her. However, he still puts his hand over hers when she lays it on top of his chest. Like that, their breathing syncs together and that is when his eyes close.

“For however long you want me here.”

His heart twists in all the he right ways. Luka leans slightly down to press his lips on her forehead. 

He doesn’t have to say that for as long as he breathes, she is welcome any time. Whether it be conquering his bed in the middle of the night or in the middle of the fight of her life, there won’t be a time that Luka won’t accept her. 

“You were amazing, as always. Show me that new song in the morning?”

Both of their consciousness were on thin ice, but he manages to murmur something before they settle into sleep.

“For you,” he says. “Anything.”

The lyrics of the unreleased song he wrote, sang, and performed is the last thing he remembers. Of course, with Marinette’s smile in mind. 

_I know who has my heart_

**Author's Note:**

> lukanette nation RISE!!!!!!


End file.
